Article Tag Archives: football

For the second straight year, the Bulldog football team finished second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Truman was 6-4 overall and 5-3 in the GLVC.

Of the 10 games played during the 2014 season, six were decided by 10 points or less. The season began with a heartbreaking 13-7 overtime loss at Div. I Drake (Iowa) but the ’Dogs bounced back with four straight wins over Langston (Okla.) 17-12, Missouri S&T 27-16, Lincoln (Mo.) 29-20 and McKendree (Ill.) 30-17.

The team suffered back-to-back home losses to William Jewell (Mo.) 21-17 and league champion Indianapolis (Ind.) 23-20 before pummeling Southwest Baptist (Mo.) 52-7 behind Garrett White’s GLVC record 229 yards rushing. The team finished the season with a home win on Senior Day against Quincy (Ill.) 17-14 and a road loss to Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) 35-9.

Ten Bulldogs were selected all-conference by GLVC coaches. Seniors White and Chico Orlando were unanimous first-team selections and were joined on the first team by Brad Wellman and Jacob Lamp.

The Bulldog defense, which allowed just 17.8 points per game, the fewest by a Truman team since the 1994 season, had five members selected to the second team all-conference. Seniors Nic Abbate and Matthew Bell were joined by junior Nick Reichert, sophomores Austin Zoda and Chris Stanton on the team. Sophomore kick returner Derek Hammann was an honorable mention on the all-conference team.

Nic Abbate, Jacob Lamp and Garrett White concluded their Bulldog football playing careers with some outstanding accomplishments.

Abbate and the Bulldogs set a new single-season high with 76 tackles for loss this past season and for a career. Abbate topped the career charts with 41 during his four seasons. He finished eighth in career quarterback sacks with 18 and was a two-time all-conference selection.

Lamp set the Truman career punting average record with 40.6 yards per punt that was previously held by Robert Fletcher in 1979. Lamp was second in the GLVC in punting average in 2014 at 40.5 yards per punt in 54 attempts with 17 inside the opponents’ 20. He had 11 punts over 50 yards and had a season-long 70-yard boot against Langston (Okla.) on Sept. 13. Both of his single-season averages as punter rank in the top six in Truman single-season history. Lamp earned his second straight first-team all-conference honor.

Jarrett Anderson (left) with Garrett White (right)

White’s 1,166 rushing yards in 2014 were the most by a Bulldog back since Jarrett Anderson’s school record total of 2,140 set back in 1996. He set a new GLVC record with 229 yards on the ground in a victory against Southwest Baptist on Nov. 1 and led the conference in yards per game at 116.6. For his career, White finished fifth on the all-time rushing charts with 2,829 yards and was fourth all-time in both rushing touchdowns (33) and total touchdowns (38) joining Anderson (1993-96), Dale “Paley” Mills (1957-60) and Chad Guthrie (1989-92).

On Saturday, Oct. 18 the Bulldog football team will celebrate and honor the 1934, 1964 and 1994 teams as part of their alumni weekend. Members and relatives of those players are invited back to be recognized as part of the halftime festivities. Look for more information in the coming months.

In football, an offensive lineman’s primary job is to protect the quarterback. Kevin Urbatsch (’88) did just that while playing at Truman, and now continues to protect others with his legal expertise.

A three-time all-conference player and one-time All-American, Urbatsch excels at everything he does. Today, he is a partner at Myers Urbatsch P.C., a law firm that works in planning for the needs of people with disabilities. He has been named a Northern California Superlawyer for four consecutive years, and was named one of the nation’s Top Child Advocates in 2013 by Parenting Magazine.

“I work six days a week, and have promised not to work on Sundays,” Urbatsch said. “Although I’ve broken that promise a few times, I work this hard because I love what I do, and I love working for the people.”

As a student, his hard work on the football field earned him a spot on Truman’s All-Century Team, comprised of the top 95 football players and coaches of the past century. Urbatsch was also one of the founding members of Phi Kappa Tau social fraternity.

After graduating from Truman with a degree in history, Urbatsch played minor league football in Florida and Arizona for a few years before taking the LSAT and attending law school at St. Louis University. One of the highlights of his legal career was arguing before the Ninth Circuit of Appeals and reversing a district court order in a published decision.

Urbatsch has spent the last 21 years in San Francisco working in estate planning and helping those in need. He also uses his legal abilities to help veterans of World War II and the Korean War receive benefits.

“Because of my background and understanding of benefits for people with disabilities, it’s nice to help the veterans receive their benefits as well,” he said.

Additionally, Urbatsch has used his background and knowledge to help other lawyers who are looking to develop a practice. He published a two-volume set of books titled, “Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting and Administration,” which took more than 20 authors and two years to complete.

“When I started in special needs, there was nothing to guide young practitioners on how to develop a practice,” he said. “I thought of all the things I wished someone had told me about this area of practice, then put it down in writing.”

Urbatsch believes his greatest professional accomplishment to be establishing his own law firm. From starting with nothing in San Francisco, to creating a name for himself, Urbatsch has built a practice that is now one of the most respected estate-planning law firms in the Bay area.

“We all think about the things in our lives that bother us. When I sit down to talk to people with disabilities, I realize my problems are pretty insignificant,” he said. “It’s very inspiring to talk and learn from them.”

Outside of work, Urbatsch spends time with his wife, their two dogs and three cats. In his spare time, he enjoys visiting wineries in Napa and Sonoma Valley and watching the San Francisco Giants, especially when they beat the Cardinals.